


Tattoo

by rebelhearts



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-08 16:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6864574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelhearts/pseuds/rebelhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short story. AU: Lucas sees Riley for the first time in a tattoo parlor. She looks scared and nervous. He can't help but offer to hold her hand while she gets her first set of ink.</p>
<p>NOTE: Riley and Lucas have never met before in this. They are both in college. Riley is 20 years old. Lucas is 21.</p>
<p>Got this AU idea from a tumblr post and couldn't help imagining Rucas in this scenario.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tattoo

He sees her late one Saturday night at a tattoo parlor downtown. She looks nervous sitting on a chair in the waiting area, the fidgeting of her fingers a dead giveaway. He doesn't know why he's overcome with a sense of protecting her. He doesn't even know her, but there was something about the way she looked so small and defenseless sitting there alone that caused his legs to start walking her way.

 

She'd been looking down at her clasped hands when he stopped an acceptable distance in front of her. She looked up at him obviously a bit startled and his heart stopped. At least that's what it felt like when her wide brown doe eyes connected with his. It wasn't that she was beautiful - though she was - that had him speechless for a few seconds. It was the look in her eyes. He could see it clear as day: innocence.

 

Lucas Friar always had had a tendency to help out those in need, those who were defenseless, and those who were innocent. It was one of the reasons he wanted to be a vet. Animals in their own right were quite defenseless and he wanted to be able to help them. Looking down at this girl he felt that same need. He felt like he had to help. If only he could get his voice to work.

 

"Can I help you?" Lucas' heart suddenly started beating again as her voice infiltrated his system. It was soft, meek, and unsure. She looked at him warily and he could immediately sense her distrust.

 

Lucas put a smile on his face and outstretched his hand. "I'm Lucas."

 

She stared down at it, her brows furrowing slightly. "Are you one of the tattoo artists?" Her gaze shifted back to his.

 

"Uh, no" Lucas pulled his hand back and shoved it in the pocket of his jeans. "I saw you siting here by yourself and it looked like you could use some company."

 

"I'm here with a friend." Her response was immediate, almost panicked.

 

"Oh. Are you waiting for them to get their art done?" He was the one to furrow his brows this time. He had a slight suspicion that this girl was lying to him.

 

"Um. Yeah, yes. That's exactly what I'm doing." She stammered while vigorously nodding her head in affirmation to his statement.

 

"Okay. Then I'll keep you company until they come out." He shrugged his shoulders and started making his way to the empty seat beside her, but her voice stopped him.

 

"No!" She rushed out her eyes slightly widening. He looked at her with an arched brow and then had to suppress a grin when her cheeks turned pink.

 

"I mean," she amended, "That's not necessary. She'll be out any second now."

 

"Uh huh." Lucas mused while nodding his head. He didn't believe a word. "Correct me if I'm wrong but don't friends usually go in with each other in these kinds of situations for support?"

 

There was that blush again. He couldn't stop his grin the second time around because she looked cute when she blushed. He wanted to make her do it again.

 

"Yeah, you're right." she started while avoiding his gaze by looking at the doorway that led to the back of the shop where the tats were done. "But she didn't want me to go with her. She wants the tattoo to be a surprise."

 

"That's nice - really. Now, why don't you look me in the eyes while you say it?"

 

Her eyes snapped back to him. He stared at her expectantly; chin slightly turned down, with a small knowing smile tugging at his lips. It only took her a second to realize he'd caught her.

 

She sighed heavily and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "You caught me."

 

"Seems like I did." He sat down next to her and this time she didn't stop him.

 

"Am I really that obvious?" she frowned. 

 

Lucas realized he didn't like that. He didn't like seeing that frown on her face. It didn't seem like it belonged there. She didn't look like the type of girl who frowned a lot and he sure wasn't gong to let that change now.

 

"Well, if looking like a deer caught in the headlights when I first came over here is obvious then, yeah. I'd say so."

 

The girl chuckled, and then buried her face in her hands with a groan. "I'm so pathetic."

 

Lucas shook his head even though she couldn't see him behind her hands. "No, you're not. You're just scared to get your first ink. Happens to everyone."

 

Pulling her hands away, she looked at him. "I know that, but not everyone comes alone."

 

She _sounded_ alone. Lucas felt himself not liking this either just as he didn't like to see her frown before.

 

"Why didn't anyone come with you?"

 

Her eyes shifted to the ceiling and she exhaled a big breath before answering. "Because I didn't want anyone to know I was doing this."

 

Lucas didn't reply because he felt like there was more she had to say.

 

"I'm tired of always being the good girl. Everyone at school thinks that I'm this prude who would never even consider doing something wild and crazy." She took another breath and looked down at her lap. "I've always wanted to get a tattoo. I never told anyone though because I never thought I'd have the courage to get one. But when I saw other people thinking the same I just knew I had to do it. I had to prove them wrong." 

 

She looked at him then from under her eyelashes. Lucas was sure she was seeking words of encouragement, or reassurance that she was doing the right thing, but he was never that kind of person when he knew something wasn't right.

 

"If the reason you're getting a tattoo is just so you can prove something to other people, then you shouldn't get one. You'll probably end up regretting it one day."

 

She shook her head. "No. It's not just to prove something to them. I'm also doing this to prove something to myself. I need to know that I'm not what everyone else thinks I am. I need to know for sure I can do this."

 

Lucas couldn't help but smile a little at her words. The look on her face was pure determination. She was doing this no matter what he said. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let her do it alone.

 

"All right, I respect that. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I don't go in with you,"

 

"You don't have to do that." she said dismissing his offer.

 

"No, I don't" he agreed. "But I want to."

 

Her face flushed and a small laugh escaped her lips. "You don't even know me."

 

"True. But we can fix that while they're working on you. I hear being distracted helps when you get your first one." He paused and held his hand out, his palm turned upwards between them. "So what do you say? You gonna let an ordinary Texas country boy help out a scared New York City girl?"

 

She laughed again but it was a real one this time. He knew then that this was who she really is. She was the girl who always laughed and had that special twinkle in her eyes when she did. He wanted her to always be that girl, if only for the time they'd be together tonight.

 

"Yeah," she said and took his hand. "I think I can allow that."

 

An hour later they both stood in front of a mirror in the back room. She was inspecting the sphere surrounded by the word 'believe' on her lower back in awe. "I can't believe I did it."

 

"Believe it. You took it like a champ, city girl."

 

She shifted her attention from the tattoo to this face. Their eyes found each other in the mirror. A smile formed on the girl's lips. "Thank you for being here."

 

Lucas' heart stopped for the second time that night. Her gratitude shouldn't affect him this much. He'd only just met her after all. And it wasn't like he'd done much. All he'd done was just hold her hand the whole time, letting her squeeze his fingers when the pain became too much to bear, and then making small talk to keep her distracted.

 

From their hour-long conversation they slowly learned more about each other. Turns out she was attending college, too. They were even in the same year at the same school. They'd both laughed at how small the universe was and couldn't fathom how neither of them had seen each other before tonight. Then again, as she had pointed out, NYU was a pretty big campus.

 

She'd questioned him about his earlier remark on being a country boy from Texas. She asked if it was true or if it was just a line he used on her. He'd feigned being offended at her accusation and she'd laughed. A sound that he was beginning to find he loved. Then he started telling her the story of how he'd moved from Texas to New York when he was going to start the seventh grade because his father's job had transferred him. She'd listened attentively, nodding and asking the appropriate questions at the right moments. After he'd finished she began talking about her life growing up in the city. He'd never been more interested in a conversation with a girl until now. He realized while she began talking about her younger brother that he wanted to know everything about this girl. Even the stuff that she might not think was important to share. He just wanted to know _her_.

 

Lucas cleared his throat. It was feeling suddenly dry from her unwavering stare in the mirror. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to get a tattoo of Pluto?"

 

"It's kind of a long story." she grinned.

 

"I've got time." He smiled with a shrug.

 

That's how she ended up telling him about her parent's love story. How they got married in college, how no one thought they would make it, and how they proved all of them wrong. Her father never stopped believing in the love he shared with her mother no matter what anyone said.

 

"And that's pretty much why I decided to get this tattoo." She said and looked over at it once more before continuing, "When I was in middle school it was said Pluto was no longer a planet. It was my favorite in the solar system, I thought it was cute."

 

She paused then, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Lucas couldn't help but grin a little. _I think you're cute_ , he thought.

 

"Anyway," she went on, "Even though all these reports were going around saying Pluto wasn't a planet, I didn't believe it. I still believed it was. I loved it that much. Then, a couple of months later it was proved to be a planet again. The day I found out, I promised myself never to stop believing in things just like my dad never stopped believing. Because if I do stop, I might not get everything I want in life."

 

"Well." Lucas chuckled, "That's definitely a pretty good reason to get a tattoo of a planet."

 

She chuckled along with him. There was a pause before she spoke again. "I don't think I could've done this if you hadn't been here."

 

He grinned. "I'm sure you would have but you'd probably have a much less charming companion than me."

 

There it was again, that laugh of hers. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing it.

 

"Well then I'm glad it was you." She smiled up at him.

 

"I'm glad it was me too." He smiled down at her.

 

There was a moment that passed between them right then. A sudden silence -though it didn't feel awkward. They just looked at one another, not saying a word but saying so much all at once. Lucas thought that he could've stood there forever just staring into those eyes that had captured him from the moment he first saw them. But that didn't seem like it'd be happening because the silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a phone.

 

The girl tore her gaze away and reached into her back pocket. She looked down at the screen and then back up at him hesitating for a second before she answered the call.

 

"Hey." She answered.

 

He could hear another voice on the line. It sounded female. Probably her mom or a friend, he guessed.

 

"No, Maya, I'm fine don't worry." She paused. "I'm at the tattoo parlor downtown."

 

Lucas heard the rise in volume of Maya's voice on the other end. "WHAT? What the hell are you doing there? And without me?"

 

Lucas already liked this girl. It seemed like she was a good friend if she was that upset that her friend had come here alone.

 

"Look I'll explain later at the dorm, okay?"

 

He couldn't hear Maya's voice anymore but he figured she'd agreed when her friend hung up after telling her she'd see her later.

 

City Girl looked up at him with a sad smile. "I gotta go but thank you again. For everything."

 

She turned and started for the door but he caught her arm before she could take a step. "Wait."

 

She looked back at him. "Yeah?"

 

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can let you leave without getting your name and number."

 

Her smile was instant as she fully faced him and offered her phone out to him. He let go of her arm and grabbed it. Taking his own out of his pocket he gave it to her. A moment later they both had their phones back.

 

"I hope to hear from you soon, Lucas."

 

She smiled one last time before heading out the door.

 

As soon as she was out of sight Lucas looked down at his phone and he immediately let out a laugh. He hadn't realized until then that he'd never asked her name. He'd been calling her 'City Girl' from their first conversation. She hadn't offered her name, though and now he could see why as he read his screen.

 

"Riley 'City Girl' Matthews."

 

Seems like she didn't mind his nickname for her. It was a good thing, he decided, because he didn't plan on taking it away anytime soon. There was one thing he was going to do sooner though.

 

Opening an empty text message he typed out:

 

_I hope this is soon enough for you, Riley._  :)

 

It only took about a minute for her reply to fill his screen.

 

_It definitely is, country boy._  :)

 

_Yeah_ , he thought with a smile, _I couldn't agree more_.


	2. Wild and Crazy

 

_Are you gonna be able to make it?_

_I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can. Busy night._

Riley frowned as she read Lucas' reply to her text. She'd invited him to her 21st birthday party tonight at the Gamma Gamma Nu house and she was sad to think that he wouldn't be able to be there. She couldn't really be too disappointed though if he didn't show up. He had an important reason not to. Lucas worked as an intern at a very successful animal clinic in New York. It obviously didn't make him any money, but it gave him first hand experience at what he'd be dealing with as a vet. Riley knew he had to work crazy hours sometimes while he wasn't in school. She didn't know how he did it, but he was definitely dedicated and she admired him for it. So, how could she possibly be sad that he wouldn't be at her birthday because he was doing something he loved?

The problem was that she wanted to be able to spend more time with him. Because of both their busy schedules they'd only been able to communicate through texts and the occasional phone call for the past two weeks. The last time she'd actually seen him face to face was the day they met at the tattoo parlor. Maybe it was stupid since they still had so much to find out about each other, but she missed him.

"What's with the sad face? Huckleberry can't make it?"

Riley pulled her attention from the phone at the sound of Maya's voice. She was standing in the bathroom doorway drying her wet hair with a towel, already dressed for the party. Something Riley had yet to do since she'd been so caught up in thoughts of Lucas.

Riley sighed. "I really wish you'd stop calling him that."

"Why?" Maya laughed. "From what you've told me about him, he sounds like a Huckleberry to me."

"Just because he's from the south doesn't mean he's a book character, Maya." Riley explained. "And Huckleberry Finn was from Missouri, not Texas."

"Wait, you actually read the book?" Maya asked in bewilderment.

"No, I saw the movie once." Riley replied, avoiding Maya's gaze.

"Liar." Maya accused. "I know you better than anyone, honey. You're a total book nerd."

"Okay, fine." Riley huffed. "I read the book, too. But only because I wanted to learn more about the controversy behind it. That's all."

"Whatever you say, honey." Maya smirked.

"Oh shut up, peaches." Riley pouted.

The girls were silent for a moment before they both looked at each other and started laughing. One of them could never stay mad at the other for long.

"I'm serious though." Riley said once she stopped laughing. "Try not to call him that. At least not to his face."

"So he is coming tonight?"

"I don't know." Riley shrugged. "He said he was busy at his internship."

"If that guy chooses spending his time picking up animal feces instead of being with you, he isn't worth it." She paused. "And he'd still be a Huckleberry."

Riley rolled her eyes. "That's not what he's doing. He's learning the in and outs of being a vet, which is what he wants to do with his life. I think it's great and I'm not going to be upset if he doesn't come tonight because of it."

Maya stayed quiet, watching Riley with curious eyes.

"What?" Riley asked.

Maya's gaze softened. "You really like this guy, don't you?"

She didn't have to think about it before she replied. "Yeah, I do."

Maya nodded. "Alright."

Riley furrowed her brows. "Alright, what?"

"Alright, I promise not to call him Huckleberry to his face." Maya turned to go back into the bathroom, but stopped, looking towards Riley. "Unless I end up not liking him, which I kind of already don't since he saw your tattoo first."

Guilt flooded through Riley. "Maya I'm-"

"You're sorry, I know." She interrupted. "Don't worry about it. I get why you had to do it alone. I just wish you 'd told me about it beforehand. I wouldn't have gone if you didn't want me to."

Maya had freaked when Riley came back to their dorm that night and showed her the tattoo. She always thought she'd be the first one out of both of them to get inked. And, of course, she was upset that she wasn't there for Riley during a big moment like that. But she felt a little better knowing Lucas had been there even if she didn't know him. At least Riley had someone there for her. Still didn't mean she had to like the situation, though.

"Okay." Riley thought a moment. "How about the next time I decide to do something wild and crazy, I make sure to drag you with me?"

"Wild and crazy is my middle name." Maya smiled. "It's a deal."

Riley then watched as Maya went back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Shaking her head, she let out a laugh. Her best friend was, for lack of a better word, the best.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Three hours later and Riley Matthews' 21st birthday party at Gamma Gamma Nu was in full swing. The place was packed. Some people Riley knew, but most of them were just stragglers that wanted to party. Riley didn't really mind as long as everyone was having a good time. She wanted to see people happy on her birthday because she knew she couldn't be. At least not fully.

_All because of a guy._

 

Riley shook off her thought. No, she wasn't going to let Lucas' missing presence affect her fun. She wasn't going to get this messed up over a boy she knew for two weeks. It'd be a pathetic way to spend her birthday, moping over him. So, she decided to do something she'd never done before tonight.

Drink.

Yes, Riley Matthews has never drunk a drop of alcohol in her life. Well, unless you count that one time when she was seven and she thought a can of beer was soda. It'd only been one sip and she immediately confessed to her mother what she'd done even though it was a mistake. Riley had always been a good girl, it was just who she was. Except for tonight. Tonight she was living on the edge.

She'd enlisted the help of Maya, keeping her promise of including her in the next wild and crazy decision she'd make. That's how they ended up in front of a kitchen table filled with small cups containing jello. All of them with different colors and flavors inside.

Riley stared down at the cups in confusion. "What is this?"

"They're called jello shots." Informed an always perky Gretchen from across the table. She was one of Riley's sorority sisters. "They're really tasty."

"She's not looking for tasty, Gretch. She's looking to get wasted." Maya snapped. She wasn't too big a fan of sorority girls. Especially since Gamma Gamma Nu seemed to take up a lot of Riley's time. Sometimes Maya just wanted to have her best friend to herself. Riley knew his though and had been making an effort to spend more time with her, so she couldn't really complain. However, the sorority girls managed to get under her skin regardless.

"Maybe I should just start small." Riley suggested. "I don't want to overdo it."

"Fine." Maya sighed. "Go for it, then." She motioned to the table with a wave of her hand.

Gretchen picked up a cup filled with red jello and handed it to Riley. "Try this one first. It's my favorite."

Riley accepted the cup. Putting it to her lips, she tipped it back. Nothing happened.

"Oh, for the love of -" Maya grabbed a cup from the table and pulled Riley's arm away from her mouth.

"What now?" Riley asked in annoyance.

"You're doing it wrong. It's like this." Maya demonstrated the correct way to take the shot. You had to squeeze the cup slightly with your fingers so the jello would come out.

"Oh." Riley said. "That makes sense."

"Let's see what you got then, Riles." Maya challenged.

Mimicking Maya's actions, Riley took her first jello shot. When it landed on her tongue she was surprised to find it was tasty like Gretchen had said. You couldn't taste the bitterness of the alcohol too much.

"Mm, strawberry." She mused.

"That's my girl." Maya smiled, patting her on the back.

"Want another?" Gretchen offered.

Riley nodded and took a green jello shot instead.

_This was going to be an interesting night._


	3. Fighter

Riley was flying. At least that's what it felt like after she'd drunk - how many jello shots was it? Three? No, four. Or maybe it was six? She guessed it didn't really matter as along as she wasn't thinking about _him_. She couldn't even remember his name. Louis? Luke? Luther? He wasn't even here anyway. No use in bringing him into her head. Out of sight, out of mind as they say.

"So, what do you say?"

Riley's thoughts were interrupted by a deep male voice. She looked up to see David - or was it just Dave? - smiling down at her. She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts she had no idea what he'd been talking about for the last fifteen minutes.

"I'm sorry, David. I spaced out for a second." She giggled. "What were you asking?"

"My name's actually Dave." He smirked.

"Whoops." Another giggle. Jello shots really made her happy. Maybe she should get another one.

"It's okay. They both sound the same anyway." He shrugged then proceeded to lean in closer. Lowering his voice he continued, "I was asking if you wanted to find someplace quieter to talk."

"Talk?" Riley furrowed her brows. Wasn't that what they were doing now?

"Yeah." Nodded Dave. "It's really loud in here and I want to get to know you better."

Riley jumped when she felt a hand at her waist. Looking down, she saw it was Dave's.

Realization hit immediately. "Oh." There was nothing to giggle about anymore.

During high school Riley had a boyfriend. His name was Brandon. He was a troubled kid, always acting up in class, sometimes even skipping school. They were both complete opposites but Riley couldn't help being attracted to him. He was dangerous and exciting - everything she wanted to be but was too scared to become. Brandon challenged her like no one else, making her experience moments she'd never thought she'd go through again. She thought they'd be together forever but once she'd confessed to him she wouldn't be sleeping with him, he'd broke it off.

It was the typical good girl meets bad boy cliché, broken heart and all.

This particular situation with Dave caused her to remember that night again. It started the same way with Brandon. His hand on her waist, suggestively offering for them to go to a quieter place, and her heart racing in fear. It's not that Riley was afraid of intimacy. She'd kissed Brandon tons of times. Even let him get to second base once. The issue was that she was afraid of hitting that home run with Brandon specifically. She didn't know what it was, but her gut instinct told her not to, to instead wait. Now when she thought about it, she realized her gut had been right. If he couldn't wait for her, then he didn't deserve to have that part of her. Just like Dave didn't either.

"You know what?" Riley grabbed Dave's hand from her waist and placed it at his side. "I think we're just fine right here."

Dave chuckled. "Nah, I think we'd be better off somewhere upstairs." There went that hand again. Except this time it was making it's way to her back, and creeping dangerously low.

Riley started to panic. Where was Maya? She'd gone off to the bathroom a couple minutes ago. How was Riley going to get out of this without her?

"Um." She stuttered. Was her voice shaking? "Can you please stop touching me?"

"Oh c'mon." he urged. "You don't like it?" His hand was really close to her behind now. Just a few inches...

"No, I don't like it." Her voice was firmer now, but still a bit wobbly. Darn it, she needed to get a grip. She put her hands up to Dave's chest, trying to push him away. It didn't work. Instead Dave just brought his other arm around and pulled her tighly against him.

This wasn't good. At all. Riley's mind went from panic mode to complete meltdown. "I said stop!"

She was attempting to push him away again, when he was suddenly no longer there. It all happened so fast; her still drunken mind almost didn't process it. Dave's back was pressed against the wall a foot away from her. A hand on his chest held him there, preventing him from moving. Riley followed the hand to the face of the person it belonged to...and she gasped.

"She said stop." Lucas growled.

Dave looked stunned as he stared back at him, but recovered quickly. "We were having a good time, man. What's your deal?"

" _My_ deal?" Lucas ground out, jaw tense. "My deal is that I don't like seeing a guy trying to take advantage of a girl. That's my deal, _man_."

"I wasn't taking advantage of her! She was loving every minute of it!" Dave exclaimed, then turned his attention to Riley with a smirk. "Weren't you, baby doll?"

Riley's stomach churned. From the jello shots or the disgust of being called 'baby doll', she didn't know. It was probably both.

Lucas pulled Dave forward by the front of his shirt and slammed him back against the wall. "Don't talk to her!"

Riley's heart felt like it was coming out of her chest. She could feel people around the room staring at the scene unfolding. It was like she was on display. All eyes on her and the two guys who looked like they were about to throw down right there.

"Hey, listen man. You better -" Dave started.

Lucas didn't let him finish. "No, you listen! If I ever see you talk to her, look at her, touch her, or even _breathe_ in her direction ever again, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Are you seriously threatening me?" Dave laughed.

Shaking his head, Lucas kept his stare steady on the guy in front of him. "No, it's not a threat." He paused, a sinister smirk appearing on his lips. "It's a promise."

"Oh really?" Dave stood up taller, getting in Lucas' face. His voice dropping so low, Riley almost couldn't hear it. "And what are you gonna do, tough guy? C'mon show me right now."

"You're not worth it." Lucas narrowed his eyes. "But I still suggest you get out of my face before you're the one who ends up on the floor."

No sooner did the threat leave Lucas' mouth, Dave had pushed him away. Lucas hesitated, his breathing becoming rapid, before taking a step forward.

"Yo, what's going on here?!"

Lucas froze in mid-step, looking over at the source of the voice. Riley released a sigh of relief at the sight of Zay Babineaux. He was one of her sorority sister's boyfriends and the captain of the university's baseball team. Everyone respected and liked him, even if he did make some humorless jokes sometimes. It was part of his charm.

"Friar?" Zay asked in shock when he spotted Lucas.

"Zay." Lucas nodded in acknowledgement.

They knew each other? Riley was so confused. She knew she'd only known Lucas for two weeks, but she never thought there would be so much she didn't know about him yet. Like his ability to go from sweet southern boy to someone you'd see on one of those cheesy school infomercials about bullying. Or the fact he knew one of the most popular guys in school. Did she really know Lucas even a little bit?

"When they told me there were two idiots downstairs causing trouble, I didn't expect one of them to be you." Zay said.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Lucas explained. "I was just defending a friend."

"Yeah, they said something about a girl." Zay's eyes found Riley and she shifted her eyes to the floor. This was so embarrassing. She felt like she was getting in trouble.

"This guy was trying to take advantage of her." Lucas informed Zay, pointing to Dave. "I was just putting a stop to it."

Zay sighed. "Dave, seriously?"

"I didn't do anything!" Dave insisted.

Lucas stepped forward with his hands forming fists at his sides. Zay stepped in front of him, stopping his advance. "Woah, calm down." Then he leaned into Lucas' ear, whispering something Riley didn't catch. Whatever it was, it caused Lucas to nod and unclench his fists.

Zay stepped away from him, turning to Dave. "Get out."

Dave started to protest, but Riley could no longer hear him. She had no idea what was happening around her anymore because _he_ was in front of her now.

"Are you okay?" his voice was so soft, so concerned. A complete contrast to the person he was a minute ago.

She wasn't finding the ability to speak very easy at the moment, so she nodded.

Lucas opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted. "Riley, oh my god! Are you okay?"

Maya rushed over, getting in between the pair to stand in front of her best friend, thereby pushing Lucas back.

"I was outside waiting for Josh and Gretchen told me what was happening." She rambled. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Maya inspected her from head to toe, looking for anything out of place. When she didn't seem to find anything she continued on her rant, "I swear if he hurt you, I'm gonna make sure he can never have children."

"I'm okay." Riley assured her. "And Lucas took care of him, it's okay."

"Lucas?" Maya asked, confused.

"That's me."

Maya turned around to face him.

"Hi." He greeted with a slight wave.

"So this is Huckleberry..." Maya mused.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Maya!" Riley reprimanded in shock.

"Oh like you didn't know I was gonna say it." Maya replied. "This is me we're talking about."

Okay, yeah. She had a point, Riley thought. It was still embarrassing, though.

"Don't mind her calling you that." Riley told Lucas. "That means she likes you."

"She calls you Huckleberry, too?" he asked in amusement.

"Honey, actually." Maya answered. "All my nicknames are pretty much permanent once I give them. So, tough cookies if you don't like it."

Lucas chuckled, "I've been called worse. I think I can deal with it."

"Good." Maya extended her hand. "I'm Maya Hart."

"I'm Lu-" he stopped when he saw Maya's expectant expression. With a laugh he said, "I'm Huckleberry Friar."

He shook her hand and she looked at Riley with a grin. "Did you hear that, Riles? He even has the same initials."

"The same initials as who?"

"No one." Riley quickly answered, her face turning red.

"Yeah, no one you need to worry about." Maya assured him. She let go of Lucas' hand and cleared her throat. "Well, I guess a 'thank you' is in order."

Maya put her arm around Riley's shoulders, tucking her into her side. "You've helped out my best friend twice already when I couldn't be there. So, thank you for that." She smiled then. "You may be a Huckleberry, but you're cool in my book."

"No problem." Lucas returned her smile.

A sound of a phone interrupted the moment. Maya pulled away from Riley to reach into her pocket for her phone. When she read the screen, a smile lit up her face.

"Uncle Boing is here."

"Why'd he come here?" Riley asked.

"I may or may not have pretended to be really drunk and called him for help." Maya said nonchalantly.

Riley shook her head with a small smile. "You're still not gonna be my aunt."

"Never said you had to call me that." Maya pointed out. "You can just call me Mrs. Boing."

"I'm still calling you Maya no matter what."

Maya shrugged. "Fair enough." She looked at Riley seriously. "You don't mind if I go alone with him do you? I mean, I wasn't going to ditch you here or anything. But, Huckleberry is here now so I know you're good with him and it's Josh..."

Maya trailed off. Riley knew what she was trying to say. This was finally her chance to get Josh to see her in a new light. She'd been waiting years to finally pursue him without anything standing in the way. When they were kids, Riley always thought Maya's feelings for her uncle was an infatuation. But, years later here they still were and they'd only gotten stronger. Who was Riley to stand in the way of her best friend's happiness?

"Go for the long game." Riley nodded towards the exit. She knew Maya would get that reference. The instant smile on her face confirmed it.

"Thank you!" Maya beamed and hugged Riley. She gave a quick goodbye to both her and Lucas before bolting out of the house.

Riley and Lucas were left standing there alone while the party went on around them. Neither of them said a word at first. Maybe they just didn't know where to start. After two weeks of not seeing each other, this was a rather unique way of meeting again.

It was Lucas who broke the ice. "Are you really, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Riley nodded.

Lucas sighed in relief. "Good."

"Thank you." Riley said softly. "For what you did."

"You don't have to thank me for that." Lucas shook his head. "Anyone would've done the same thing."

"No, they wouldn't." Riley wasn't going to let him brush it off so easily. "So, whether you like it or not, I'm thanking you."

"Okay." Lucas accepted. He looked around the room, realizing something. "Hey, happy birthday."

Riley laughed. "Yeah, thanks."

"Not the birthday you expected, huh?" He gave her a sad smile.

"Not at all." She admitted. "But, I'm glad you're here now."

"Me, too." He agreed with a smile.

The room suddenly felt too stuffy. Riley wanted to be anywhere but there. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Uh, yeah." He nodded, and then added, "If you want to."

"I do."

"Then let's go, city girl." He grinned and offered her his hand.

Accepting it, she grinned back. "Lead the way, country boy."


	4. Drunk Believer

They ended up at a bar a couple blocks away from the Gamma Gamma Nu house. When they left the party Lucas had asked Riley if she wanted to head back to her dorm. He'd gladly take her back and call it a night. After what had happened back at the sorority house he didn't want to ruin her birthday anymore than he had already. He didn't get a chance to tell her that though because she insisted that she wanted to spend time with him. He begrudgingly agreed as his hold on her hand tightened slightly while they walked the remaining blocks to the bar.

It wasn't that Lucas didn't want to spend more time with her. That was the main reason he'd gone straight to her birthday party instead of heading back to his apartment where he could get some rest after the long night he'd had at his internship. He just wanted to be with her. Sleep and rest could come later. So, he went to the party expecting to have a great night with a girl he'd met only two weeks ago but already found himself thinking about nonstop. Instead what he got was a blast from the past. A past he never wanted to relive again.

When he walked into Gamma Gamma Nu and saw Dave all over Riley, something he hadn't felt in a long time snapped back inside him. Rage – utter and complete rage. Watching Riley struggle to get Dave away to no avail, seeing her so defenseless, flipped a switch inside him that had long ago been gone. He didn't even think twice before he had Dave off Riley and against the wall. Looking at Dave, he was taken back to a middle school hallway located in the state of Texas. The wall behind Dave had suddenly turned into lockers the color of crimson. And then Dave's face was no longer the one he saw. It was a younger boy, still older than Lucas at the time by a year, with liquid rolling down his chin that matched the color of the lockers behind him. Lucas felt like his past and present were merging into one. But, somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't let this moment have the same outcome as the last one. He wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't the same person he used to be. Not anymore.

That's why he'd decided to walk away from Dave. However, Dave had other plans when he pushed Lucas away and taunted him to retaliate. Lucas' mind was torn in two. He knew he shouldn't give in. Dave was all talk. He'd known guys like him all his life. Had dealt with them before and even left one on the floor unconscious. That certain memory was what always held him back. He wouldn't let himself be that monster anymore. He couldn't let himself go back to that again. But...his past self was screaming at him to put Dave to the ground, to get it over with, and teach him a lesson he'd never forget. His nostrils had flared, as his stare didn't waver from Dave. He was the predator and Dave the prey. He could feel the adrenaline kicking in, his hands curling into fists, and then he sprung into action. But he hadn't been able to make it two steps before the sound of a voice stopped him cold.

It was kind of funny how life worked sometimes, how history can repeat itself. Nothing about this situation was particularly funny, but Lucas couldn't help the sense of déjà vu that came over him as he stared at Zay Babineaux. The same Zay who'd gotten him into the same exact situation he was in now. Zay was the reason he'd left that kid unconscious back in middle school.

Another thing Lucas was -besides a helper of the innocent – was a good friend. Zay's mouth always got him in trouble with the wrong people and Lucas felt the need to be the one to clean up the mess. But, that day years ago had gone too far. It had gotten him expelled from school and changed his life forever. It was the reason he'd become the person he is now. Someone who constantly felt he was two people at once, but was dying to be one more than the other. Times like this with Dave were when one side won out over the other. The bad part was that it wasn't the side Lucas wanted.

So, it was funny. It was funny because the person who had a hand in making him this way was now the person who was stopping him from going back. Dave had once again opened his mouth, causing Lucas to advance towards him, preparing to deliver a devastating blow to his face. But Zay had stepped in, put a hand to Lucas' chest, and lowered his mouth to his ear.

"You don't want to do this, Lucas. This isn't middle school anymore. You're not going to get expelled. You could get arrested."

Hearing the word 'arrested' had brought him back to his senses. Zay, for possibly the first time ever, was right. If he'd thought what happened in middle school was bad, this could only turn out worse. This one moment could've been Lucas' relapse to the person he used to be. Even though it hadn't happened, he still felt ashamed that it almost did. If Zay hadn't been there, he knows he would've given in. This was why he was hesitant to keep spending time with Riley after they left the party. Riley was such a bright light. The least he could do was stay away so his dark side wouldn't burn that light out. The problem was that even though he knew he should stay away, he couldn't. For some reason whenever he was around her, even talked to her, he felt like the person he wanted to be. He felt different...better. Somehow _she_ made him better.

"You look funny."

The unexpected giggle broke through his thoughts. Lucas looked across the table at Riley who was watching him with a small smile. They were seated in a dimly lit bar, a half empty bottle of beer in front of him and two empty bottles in front of her.

Despite the sour turn his thoughts had taken, he smiled back at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Your eyebrows are scrunched together." She reached over and put a finger in the middle of his forehead. "And you have a crease right here."

Lucas chuckled as he pulled her finger off him. He didn't let go of her though. Instead he opened her palm and held her hand in his own. "And that makes me look funny?"

"Oh, yeah." She laughed. "You look like you're thinking too hard. It's funny."

He was silent then. She was right, he was thinking too hard. What happened tonight had his mind all messed up.

"How do you know Zay?"

Lucas flinched at the question. They had avoided talking about anything related to what happened at the party the whole two hours they'd been at the bar. Lucas was totally fine with that since he didn't want to bring up his past. He didn't know if he could get out of it now, though.

"You know him?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, he's the boyfriend of one of my sorority sisters."

Lucas shook his head. "I still can't believe you're a sorority girl."

Riley titled her head to the side. "Why not?"

"I don't know." He trailed off, searching for the right words. "You just don't seem like the sorority type."

"I didn't know there was a type when it came to sorority girls." Riley laughed.

"Well, I thought there was. But, I guess you've proved me wrong." He smiled.

She smiled back. "I'm glad." Then she asked again, "So, how do you know Zay?"

Lucas shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared down at their joined hands. He cleared his throat. "We've been friends since middle school."

"Really?" She was silent a moment. "He seemed pretty surprised to see you tonight for someone who's known you for so long."

_She just had to be observant, too didn't she?_

With a sigh Lucas elaborated. "Like I've told you before, I moved in seventh grade from Texas to New York. We didn't see or talk to each other again until sophomore year in high school."

"You both ended up at the same high school?" Riley asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I know." Lucas laughed. "I was shocked myself when I saw him that day. Turns out the world really is a small place after all."

Riley nodded in understanding. Then said, "So, why did you two never keep in touch after you left?"

_Why'd she have to go and ask that?_

How could he possibly begin to explain his reasons for not wanting Zay in his life anymore back then? Not having Zay around was one of the ways Lucas began to start over. It was the first step in becoming a better person. When Zay came back into his life during high school, he thought all his efforts would become futile. But, Zay had changed too since the last time they'd seen each other. He was still a bit mouthy but he didn't expect Lucas to get him out of any sticky situations anymore. It took some time but eventually their friendship went back to normal, became stronger even. So strong that they currently shared an apartment together. But, could Lucas really rehash all his past to Riley? Would she even be able to accept the darkest part of him?

"It's a long and complicated story." Lucas decided to leave it at that.

"I have time." Riley insisted.

Her words caused his lips to tip up because he'd said the same exact thing to her when she hesitated in telling him the story behind her tattoo. However, his story was different. He didn't think he could share it so easily with her. At least not now.

"I'll tell you." Lucas leaned in closer to her. She mimicked his actions, her eyes brightening thinking he was about to share some conspiratorial secret.

He smirked, his eyes dancing with mischief. "One day."

"That's no fair!" She pouted.

Lucas leaned back, letting out a deep laugh.

"When exactly is 'one day' anyway?" she asked.

Gaining back his composure, Lucas replied, "When you're not drunk and can think clearly to understand the story."

"I'm not drunk." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You sure about that?" he asked in amusement.

Thinking for a second she said, "I don't even know what drunk feels like so I can't be drunk." Then she paused and began to giggle. "Wait, that's bad isn't it?"

"Yeah, City Girl." He chuckled. "That's pretty bad."

"Okay, maybe I am drunk a little." She put her thumb and index finger together indicating how 'little' drunk she was.

"I'd say it's more than a 'little'." Lucas stated. "Did you drink anything at the party? You only had two beers here."

"Yeah, I did!" she exclaimed in excitement. "There were these really tasty jiggly drinks. Some tasted like strawberry, others like grape, and even lemon! They were also really colorful like the colors of the rainbow and – "

Lucas interrupted her cute little rant with a smile. "Jello shots?"

"Yeah!" she nodded her head rapidly. "That's what they were called."

"How many did you have exactly?" he asked skeptically.

"Um..." Riley looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember. "Four? No, five! Or maybe it was seven..."

"Okay." Lucas drawled out. "I think you've had enough for tonight then." He raised his hand to motion the waitress who had been attending them. She walked over and Lucas asked for the check.

"What? No!" Riley protested. "I don't want this night to be over."

"Riley, trust me on this. Okay? It's time to call it a night."

Riley must've seen the seriousness in his face, because she nodded and sat back in her chair patiently waiting while the check was brought to them. When the waitress placed it on the table, Lucas paid. Then, he and Riley headed outside. He had to support Riley by the waist since she was slightly stumbling over her own feet as she walked.

"Alright, what dorm do you live in?" Lucas asked once they were on the sidewalk.

"Don't remember." Riley said simply.

Lucas looked at her in disbelief. "What?"

Her face remained serious until a second later she burst into giggles. "You should see your face. Priceless."

Shaking his head, Lucas tried again, "What dorm do you live in, Riley?"

"We can't go there."

"Why not?"

"Because," Riley dragged out the word longer than necessary before continuing. "Maya could be there with Josh and I don't want to ruin it for her."

"Why don't you just call her and see where she's at?"

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" Riley asked in exasperation. "We can't ruin this for her." She swatted his arm.

"Ow!" Lucas yelled. "What was that for?"

"For not paying attention to me." She said it as if it were obvious. "Look, take me wherever, just not to my dorm."

With a sigh, Lucas agreed. "Alright, c'mon."

He hailed down a cab and gave the driver directions to his apartment. When they arrived, Lucas paid the driver and helped Riley inside.

Once inside, Riley took in her surroundings. Lucas watched as her glazed over eyes inspected every inch of the living room. He wondered what she thought of it all.

"What is this place?" she questioned.

"It's the apartment I share with Zay." He paused then added. "He probably won't be here tonight. He spends most nights with his girlfriend."

Riley's head swung in Lucas' direction after he had added that last part in. From the way her eyes had widened, he guessed what he'd said hadn't sat well with her.

"You didn't bring me here to..." she trailed off.

His eyes widened in shock. "What? No!" He shook his head vigorously. "No way. I'd never do that to you or any girl. Especially when you're drunk. No way."

"Oh, so you would if I were sober?" Riley narrowed her eyes.

He felt his face turning red. "No!"

"So, you wouldn't want to sleep with me?" Her brows furrowed.

"I never said that. I'm not against sleeping with you, I –"

"So, you did bring me here for that!" she accused.

"What – I," he groaned in frustration. "Stop twisting my words around!"

Riley stared him down, her eyes still narrowed. Then like she'd done back out on the street she burst into laughter.

Lucas was officially confused.

"Oh god." Riley tried to catch her breath. "You are _so_ funny when you're frustrated."

With a sigh, Lucas stepped closer to her. "And you are _so_ frustrating when you're drunk."

He stopped in front of her and when he grabbed her chin gently in his hand, her laughter was no more. He couldn't be sure, but she didn't seem to be breathing either.

His thumb reached up and traced her bottom lip. "You know what else you are?"

"What?" she breathed.

"You're possibly one of the cutest drunks I've ever met." He smiled.

"I don't want to be cute." She whispered.

"What do you want to be, then?"

As he waited for her answer, his eyes involuntarily moved to her lips. They parted as Riley took a breath and he looked up to see she was watching him. He wasn't stupid. He knew what she wanted. But, he needed to hear her to say it.

"I want to be wild and crazy." This time she stared down at his lips. When her tongue darted out and licked her lips, Lucas almost gave in.

"And how do you expect to do that?" As the words left his mouth he inclined his head forward so their foreheads were in contact. His hand then moved from her chin to cup the side of her neck. He could feel her pulse against his hand; it's rapid beat resembling the one of his heart.

"I want you to kiss me."

The request was so soft; it was a miracle Lucas was able to hear it. But he definitely had heard her. And he was planning to deliver, just not in the way they both wanted.

His hand on the nape of her neck traveled up to tuck her hair behind her ear. Slowly, he shifted his head to the side, his lips getting closer to her. He saw her eyes were already closed in anticipation, so he closed the distance between them. His lips landed softly on her cheek, lingered for a moment, and then pulled away.

He looked down at Riley as her eyes opened. Blinking rapidly she stared at him in confusion. "That's not the type of kiss I meant."

He chuckled. "I know."

"Don't you want to kiss me?" she frowned.

"City Girl, you have no idea how badly I'd love to kiss you right now."

"I don't get it, then."

"Cute." He murmured, and when she narrowed her eyes, he smirked. "Here's the thing you need to know about me, Riley."

Holding her face gently in his hands so she'd pay attention to what he was about to say he continued, "When I kiss a girl, I want to make sure she remembers it. In your current state, you probably won't remember anything from tonight. But, trust me. When tomorrow comes around, I _will_ be kissing you and you _will_ remember it."

Riley gaped at him.

"You get me?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I get you."

"Good." He said. Leaning forward, he gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now, you need to get some rest. C'mon."

Grabbing her hand, he led her back to his room. He helped her out of her shoes then brought her some water that he convinced her to drink. Once she'd drank half the glass, he tucked her in.

When he was turning around to leave the room, her voice stopped him. "Lucas?"

He looked back at her on the bed. "Yeah?"

"Where are you gonna sleep?"

Her concern for him tugged a little at his heart. She was the drunk one, she shouldn't worry about him, but yet she still was.

"I'll sleep in Zay's room. It's just across the hall. Yell for me if you need me, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He tried leaving again, but she spoke up once more. "Lucas?"

He didn't say anything this time, just gave a small nod of his head to show her he was listening.

"Tonight, when you saved me from Dave? You really scared me."

Lucas gulped. God, those words felt like a knife to the gut. The last thing he'd ever want to do was scare this girl.

"Riley, I –"

"I wasn't scared of you, though." She rushed out. "I was scared I didn't know you like I thought I did."

If only she knew how true that was. She really didn't know him. She didn't know about his past or who he used to be.

"For that one moment at the party you were a completely different guy than who I've gotten to know these past two weeks." She continued. "But, you know what I just realized?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he asked anyway. "What?"

"I realized that whatever part of you that was tonight, it's not really you. The guy who held my hand while I got my first tattoo? The guy who helps take care of my current drunken state and who stopped someone from taking advantage of me? _That's_ who you are."

Lucas couldn't speak. He wasn't even sure he could breathe. How could she know who he really was without knowing who he'd been before? Could somebody who you'd only known for a short time see the real you? The one you've always been trying to be?

"You don't know that for sure, City Girl. What you saw tonight is part of me." His voice broke as he said the next words. "I think it always will be."

"Maybe it will." Riley agreed quietly. "But it's not all you are."

He didn't know what to say to that. Her words had left him without words, without thoughts.

"You're a good guy, Lucas Friar." Riley said drowsily. The effects of the alcohol were starting to drift her off to sleep, but not before she finished what she had to say. "You just haven't realized it yet."

Then her eyes had closed, breathing slowed down, and she was asleep. All Lucas could do was stand there and watch her sleep. Not in a creeper way, but more like he was trying to figure her out.

_You're a good guy, Lucas Friar._

No one in his life had ever said that to him. At least not after what happened in middle school. After that, everyone looked at him differently. Even his parents. But, this girl...this beautiful, bright eyed, happy girl saw the good in him. Someone who knew nothing about who he used to be, but had gotten a glimpse of it, still saw the good in him.

_But it's not all you are._

Lucas didn't really believe that. That's what was different between him and Riley. She believed in him and he didn't. But, maybe – just maybe – with Riley by his side he could start believing in himself, too.

 


	5. A Mess to Remember

Riley Matthews was Never. Drinking. Again.

As soon as she'd woken up in Lucas' bed she knew she wasn't going near alcohol for a very long time, if ever. Her head had been pounding like if someone was hitting her with a hammer. Her stomach kept rolling, nausea instantly taking over her. She didn't even have time to take in her surroundings before she made a mad dash for the bathroom. She got lucky that it wasn't that far from the room she was in. It was just across the hall and once she was inside she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet to dispose of all the alcohol she'd consumed the previous night. 

 _God, this was horrible._ That was the thought that kept running through Riley's head as the contents of her stomach seemed to be never ending. Eventually, it did stop but Riley was too weak to stand up. So she pressed her head to the rim of the bowl. The cool feel of it soothed her clammy skin, but it didn't do much for how bad she still felt. 

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door followed by a voice. "Riley, is that you?"

She didn't have the energy to answer in words. All she could muster was a groan.

"Can I come in?"

A simple "mmhm" was enough for the person on the other side of the door to come in. She didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked with concern. There was a pause and then he said, "Nevermind. Don't answer that. It's obvious you're not."

If she were feeling more herself right now, she'd probably be able to nod her head and agree with him. But, her body just wasn't up for doing much activity right then.

"C'mon, City Girl. Let's get you up." Riley felt Lucas' arms wrap around her, effortlessly lifting her to her feet. With one arm around her waist holding her up, he used the other to put down the toilet seat. Then he gently guided Riley to sit on it. Once she was seated, Riley leaned her head against the bathroom wall and closed her eyes. She couldn't even keep her eyes open since the bright light in the bathroom seemed to bother her.

All Riley could do was hear. She heard Lucas shuffling around the small room, cabinets and drawers opening and closing. Then she heard the sound of water running, most likely coming from the sink she'd spotted briefly when she ran in. A moment later, Riley felt a damp cloth against her face. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw Lucas standing in front of her. In his hand was the cloth which was now against her cheek and moving to her mouth, cleaning up the remains of her vomit fest that had been left behind on  her face.

Lucas noticed her looking at him and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. The worst part is over."

Done with cleaning her face, he tossed the cloth in the trash. Riley watched as he rummaged through the cabinet under the sink and pulled out something. When he set it on the bathroom counter, she noticed it was a toothbrush. Apparently, it was new since it was still in it's packaging.

He turned around to face her. "You can use that to brush your teeth. I doubt you're gonna want to be with that puke taste in your mouth until you get back to your dorm."

Riley nodded slightly in agreement.

"Thought so." He grinned, then held up a finger. "Hold on one second." He left the bathroom and came back with a towel in hand. "You can use this, too."

Riley grabbed the towel as Lucas handed it over to her. Clutching it in her lap, she stared at him for a minute. He was being so helpful. Once again, a complete contrast to the guy she'd seen at her birthday party. But, like she told him last night, she knew that wasn't who he really was. Yeah, she still remembered that conversation. In fact, she remembered most of what had happened last night. Even that moment in Lucas' living room when she'd - _oh God_. Had she really asked him to kiss her? She'd never been that bold with a guy before. Guess now she knew what liquid courage meant because she knew she'd never do that sober.

She could only hope Lucas didn't think any less of her for being so forward like that. Or that she was annoying. She remembered him saying she was frustrating when she was drunk and... _wait._ He said he wanted to kiss her. The memory of their almost kiss hit Riley head on. His lips had felt so soft against her cheek, it made her heart rate go double time. If that's how a simple cheek kiss from him affected her, how would it be when he really kissed her? Because he _would_ kiss her. That's what he'd said. Her face heated as she recalled his promise to kiss her tomorrow, which would now be _today_.

Riley suddenly felt nauseous for another reason entirely. She still wanted him to kiss her, that wasn't the issue. The problem was that she was nervous with anticipation. When was he going to do it? Was he going to think she was a bad kisser? She'd only had one boyfriend before, her experience wasn't all that vast. What if he didn't even want to kiss her anymore? What if -

"What are you thinking about?"

Her inner freakout was interrupted by his question. When she processed what he'd asked, she shook her head. No way was she telling him her thoughts. "Nothing."

"She talks!" he teased.

A small laugh escaped her in response, but the action caused her head to throb again so it ended in a groan.

"Sorry." Lucas winced. "I know how talking or any type of movement can suck right now."

She was quick to reassure him. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

With a nod Lucas went on. "So, do you think you can handle cleaning up on your own? I was thinking of making you some breakfast."

Riley opened to mouth to tell him that food was the last thing she wanted but he spoke up again.

"I know food doesn't sound too appealing right now, but trust me. You need to eat something so you can take some aspirin for that headache you have."

Who was she to argue that logic? After all, she's never gone thorough this whole hangover business while he obviously has.

She nodded. "Okay. I can handle things in here by myself."

"Alright. I'll be in the kitchen. Just yell if you need me." He turned to go.

"Lucas, wait."

He spun around in the doorframe. "Yeah?"

She smiled softly. "Thank you."

 "You seem to say that a lot to me."

"Yeah, well." She shrugged. "You seem to always be there to help me."

He seemed to consider this before he looked at her, his lips pulled up in a little smile. "You're welcome. But, don't get used to it."

Riley chuckled. "Wasn't planning on it."

She watched as he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Riley stood up from the toilet and headed to the bathroom sink. She opened the unused toothbrush and put some toothpaste on it that she found close by. Turning one of the knobs on the sink, she had the water running before she stared up at the mirror in front of her. The toothbrush almost fell out of her hand when she saw her reflection.

Her hair was in tangles, her mascara smudged under her eyes making her look like a raccoon, and her face was still flushed. She looked like a mess. Her stomach lurched as realization hit her. Lucas had seen her looking like this. She felt sick all over again. How many embarrassing things could he possibly see her go through in a span of two weeks? Apparently a lot from the looks of it. She couldn't believe Lucas had been so close to her in her current messy state and hadn't run for the hills. But, who knows? Maybe instead of being in the kitchen right now, he'd actually already made his escape.

Groaning at her reflection, Riley could only do what she had already been about to do. Bringing the toothbrush to her mouth, she brushed her teeth then washed out her mouth with water. There wasn't much she could do about her appearance. She didn't have a hairbrush of her own in this place or any of her make up removers. If Lucas, by some miracle, was still here she'd have to tell him she needed to leave. There was no way she was going to let him see her like this for another second. Just knowing he'd been around her looking like this for as long as he did was embarrassing enough.

Riley left the bathroom and found her way to the kitchen. To her relief and horror Lucas was still here, making her some kind of breakfast like he said he would be. It seems as though he'd heard her come in because he turned around with a smile.

"Hey, breakfast's almost ready. You can sit down if you want." He motioned towards a table in the middle of the room with two chairs.

Riley inwardly sighed. He was being so sweet. She wanted more than anything to stay with him and eat whatever it was he was making for her. Her stomach might not want food but her nose couldn't ignore that whatever Lucas was making smelled delicious. Sucks that she won't be here to taste it.

"I think I should go back to my dorm." she announced.

Lucas stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "What? Why?"

"I've caused you enough trouble already, Lucas. You don't need to take care of me anymore. I can handle it from here. I can call a cab and -"

"What are you talking about? You're not any trouble for me at all, Riley." Turning off the stove, Lucas walked to stand in front of her. "Is that what you think you are?"

She ducked her head down so Lucas wasn't able to see her make up stained face anymore. "No, I just don't think it's fair to you that you have to do all this for me."

"I don't mind. If I did, I wouldn't be doing it."

"Right." she conceded. "I know that."

"Then, what's going on? Why do you wanna leave?" She could hear the confusion in his voice and before she could come up with another excuse to leave he asked, "Is it because of what happened at your party?"

Her head snapped up to look at him. "What?"

"Last night, when I took that guy off you." His trailed off and this time he was the one to duck his head, avoiding her gaze. "You told me afterwards you were scared." He looked back at her again, the concern in his eyes clear. "Is that why you want to leave? Are you scared of me?"

Riley was baffled. How could he even think that?

"Lucas, no. Of course I'm not scared of you. I told you that last night."

"I know, but I honestly wouldn't blame you if you were."  He said with a shake of his head.

"I'm not scared of you." Riley repeated. "I could _never_ be scared of you."

"You really believe that, huh?" he asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, I do." Riley said with conviction. She meant what he said last night. She knew without a doubt Lucas Friar was a good guy and that wasn't going to change.

Seeming to accept her answer Lucas once again asked, "Why do you want to leave, then?"

Trying to beat around the bush was pointless. She might as well just tell him the truth. He'll probably be relieved that she wants to leave because she looks so horrible, thereby saving him the trouble of having to see her like that anymore. She'd be doing them both a favor.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out. "I don't want you seeing me like this."

Lucas' face scrunched up in confusion. "Like what?"

Oh, now she just knew that he was a good guy. He was trying so hard to act like he didn't notice how bad she currently looked.

Riley sighed in frustration. "Like _this_." She motioned to her face and hair with her hands.

His eyes roamed over the places she pointed out and her face flushed in embarrassment. At least before he was pretending not to notice, but now that he was looking she wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"I don't see a problem." He shrugged.

Riley gaped at him. "Are you serious? I look like a mess!"

"I personally think you look cute all unkempt like that." He said in amusement.

His words made Riley's face heat up in anger. He was totally making fun of her and she was not standing for that.

"You know what? I take back that whole 'good guy' comment I said last night." she snapped.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, because no good guy is a liar."

He laughed, incredulous. "How am I a liar?"

"You said I look cute like this!" she exclaimed and when Lucas opened his mouth to reply, she kept going. "Which I _know_ is a lie because I obviously don't. Like I said, I look like a total mess and you're probably just dying for me to leave so you won't have to look at me anymore. And -"

Lucas didn't let her finish the rant, because before Riley knew what was happening, his lips were on hers.

Her whole body went into shock. That's the only way she could explain why she froze as soon as she realized Lucas was kissing her. And it was a real one this time, not like the one he'd given her last night. Once her mind snapped out of the initial surprise of the kiss, she began to feel again.

She felt the warmth of his hand against the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair. She felt the rapid thrum of his heartbeat against her palm, which she'd placed against his chest to steady herself. The feel of his lips on hers had caused her knees to go weak and she only hoped they wouldn't give out. She'd only ever heard of kisses making girls weak in the knees in the books she read. She never actually thought it was real or possible. But yet, here she was.

Lucas' hand on her neck twitched and he slowly pulled his lips away. He didn't step back, though. Moving his hand to cup her cheek, he leaned his forehead against hers.

Riley opened her eyes, breathless from the kiss. "You kissed me."

"Yeah." Lucas chuckled, his thumb slowly stroking her cheek. "I did."

"But..." She was at a lost for words.

Lucas pulled back and stared down at her with a smirk. "What? You didn't expect me to kiss you?"

"No." Riley admitted. "At least not _now_."

With a conspiratorial wink, he said, "That was kind of the point, City Girl."

"Meaning?" she prodded.

"Don't you remember what I said last night after you asked me to kiss you?"

She blushed. "I can't really remember a lot of things at the moment."

With a chuckle he reminded her, "I told you that when I kiss a girl, I make sure that she'll remember it."

That's right. He had said that last night.

Lucas went on, "Just a few seconds ago you were saying you thought you looked like a mess. Well, now when you think of our first kiss, you'll remember that it happened when you thought you looked like a mess while _I_ thought you still looked cute as always."

"That's actually..." Riley searched for the word. "Sweet." She smiled.

"Well, I _do_ try." he smirked.

"Hey, don't go getting an ego now." Riley teased.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure as long as you're around, you won't let my ego get too much to handle. And I _do_ plan on keeping you around."

"Good. Because I plan on being around." Riley smiled.

"Good." Lucas agreed and leaned forward to kiss  her forehead. When he pulled away he asked, "So, does being around include a date?"

"If you're asking for one, then yes. It definitely does."

A big smile spread on both their faces at her response. Riley didn't know what the future would hold for her and Lucas. But, being with him in this moment, she was certain they were going to have something worth remembering.

-*-

**_Three Months Later_ **

Pacing back and forth in her dorm room, Riley stared at the digital clock on her night stand for what seemed to be the millionth time. Lucas had told her he'd show up at seven so they'd be able to get to the Broadway show on time. But it was now seven thirty and Lucas was no where to be found. He hadn't called or anything. She'd tried reaching him on his phone a few times but it'd go straight to voicemail.

Riley just knew that something was wrong because this wasn't like Lucas. He didn't just not show up when he said he would without calling if something had come up. They'd been dating for three months already and Lucas always had shown up for all their outings. Something had to be wrong and it was driving her crazy with worry. He could be in a ditch somewhere and she's in her dorm room unable to help him because she has no idea where he is.

The sound of a phone startled her out of her thoughts. She launched herself towards her desk and picked up her phone. Seeing that the caller ID said 'Zay', she immediately answered.

"Zay! I'm so glad you called. I'm worried about Lucas. He was supposed to show up half an hour ago for our date and he's not answering his phone -"

He interrupted her rush of words. "That's why I'm calling."

"You know where he is? Is he okay?"

"Define 'okay'." he drawled.

She didn't like the sound of that at all. Now she was even more worried. "Zay, where is he?"

There was a pause and then, "Look, he didn't want me to call you. But, I'm not in town so I had no other choice. You're the only person I'd trust to go help him."

"Where is he, Zay?!" Riley said frantically.

With a defeated sigh, Zay finally gave her the answer she'd been waiting to hear. 

"Lucas got arrested. He's in jail."

 


	6. Letting Go

Why is it that when everything seems to finally be going well in your life, something always had to come and ruin it? That's the question Lucas was currently asking himself as he sat inside a jail cell in downtown New York City.

He'd done it - the thing that he's been trying to avoid since practically forever. He'd reverted back to his old ways. Tonight he became the person he hated to be and he couldn't stop it. It would be easy to blame it on the drinks or the stress he was under because of school, but he'd just be kidding himself. He knew exactly what had brought all this on. It was always the same thing, or rather the same person, making him act like someone he didn't want to be.

People had always assumed that Lucas had anger issues. And he did - he'd admitted it to himself and the people he cared the most about, including Riley. But he wasn't just born with these issues. It was something that had been building inside him for years as a kid that inevitably had to come to a boiling point. Like everyone else, Lucas' anger had a trigger and that trigger was his father.

No one would have ever suspected that his picture perfect family was actually crumbling behind closed doors. And it was all his fault. He wasn't who his father wanted him to be. He was a failure. It wasn't as if his dad had ever told him this outright, but he could read it in his eyes whenever Lucas did something that wasn't what he expected of him. Like getting expelled from seventh grade. Like wanting to become a vet instead of joining the army. He knew his father didn't approve of almost anything he did despite how hard he'd always try to please him.

That's what the problem was. The expectations his father puts on him just became too much for him to handle. Tonight was one of those times. His father had called him up a couple of minutes before he was going to pick Riley up for their date. Sargent Friar hardly ever called him, so he knew it was bad.

He hadn't been wrong. Not even one minute into the phone call, his father started reprimanding him about how his grades were dropping. You'd think with Lucas being in college his father would let him handle that. But even being out of the house didn't stop him from keeping his son on a short leash. He had a lot of connections in the city for being in the army for so many years. It was just a matter of time before someone blabbed about Lucas' grades.

The call had just gone downhill from there. His father interrogated him in every way possible to figure out the cause of his grade drop. When he got to the topic of girls, Lucas' muscles had stiffened.

"Is it a girl?" his father's deep voice had demanded from the other line.

Lucas' reply was immediate. "No, she has nothing to do with this."

"So there is a girl." His father threw back at him.

Lucas closed his eyes, silently cursing himself. He hadn't meant to let his father know about Riley.

"How many times do I have to remind you that girls are just a distraction, Lucas? They'll just keep you from achieving your goals."

"She's not a distraction, sir. I promise." He felt like a child again trying to convince his father that he wasn't making a mistake.

"If she wasn't, your grades wouldn't be suffering." His father was silent for a moment but Lucas knew he was still on the line. "I think you should stop seeing her."

Lucas' grip on his cell phone tightened. "I'm sorry, sir. But I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

He could tell his father was getting angrier, but he didn't care. No one was keeping him away from Riley. "Both. She means a lot to me, sir. I'm not gonna stop seeing her."

"She means a lot to you?" His father laughed bitterly. "What, do you love her or something?"

Lucas stayed silent. It wasn't because he didn't know the answer. Because he did. He'd known it for a long time. The thing was that his father wasn't the person who deserved to hear the words first. It was her.

"I see." his father mused after Lucas still hadn't replied. "Tristan would've never let a girl get him so tied up in knots, you know."

And there it was. The same name that always came up whenever Lucas had let his family down. His older brother had been dead for years but it was like he was still there. He was still haunting everybody. Especially Lucas.

"Yeah, I know." Lucas muttered. "But I'm not him."

"That's because you don't try hard enough. Not like he did."

Lucas' blood was boiling now. No matter how many times he tried to make his father see that he'd never live up to the expectations of being like Tristan, it never got through his head. He was always right. Arguing with him about it was no use.

"I'll try harder to get my grades up by next semester, sir." Lucas sighed.

"That's what I like to hear." Even though Lucas had said exactly what his father wanted, he knew he still wouldn't be smiling on the other end of the phone. His father never smiled when it came to him. "Goodnight, Lucas."

That was another thing his father never did. He never called him _son_ , only Lucas.

Ignoring the familiar pang in his chest at his father's farewell, Lucas replied, "Night, sir."

After he'd hung up, Lucas had been on edge. He needed to let off some steam and he couldn't let Riley see him before he did. He couldn't let her see what a disappointment he was. He had to relax, so he ended up at the bar. But that ended up being the worst decision ever when he'd gotten into a fight and was arrested. Now he sat in a jail cell waiting patiently for his best friend to bail him out. He could only hope Zay could get here with the money and that he hadn't told Riley what happened. She'd probably called him wondering where he was since he hadn't showed up for their date. This night had already gone bad enough. He didn't need Riley finding out he'd messed up again.

"Lucas Friar?"

Lucas looked up to find the officer that had arrested him standing outside of the cell, a set of keys in his hands. "You're free to go."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Lucas stood up and walked out of the cell as soon as it was opened. As he went to go gather his personal belongings the cops had taken hostage, he silently reminded himself to pay back Zay as soon as he could for this. He really owed him big time.

Sliding his cell phone into his back jean pocket, Lucas pushed the door separating the entrance of the police station and the back cells open. The door closed behind him as his gaze roamed the room searching for Zay. When his eyes landed on the face that was in his mind more than he'd like to admit, he froze.

Her eyes widened when she spotted him. Without a word, she rushed towards him, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you." she breathed into his ear.

Lucas was still in shock when he felt her press herself closer to him, squeezing him tight. His arms hadn't moved from his sides. He couldn't hug her back no matter how good she felt against him. He couldn't believe she was here. He didn't want this.

Noticing he hadn't moved, Riley pulled her head away from his neck and looked up at him. "Lucas? What's wrong?"

 _Everything._ That's what he wanted to say but the words wouldn't come out.

Riley searched his face looking for an answer. When she didn't get one, she looked him over. Her eyes stopped on his shirt and she gasped. "Oh my god. Are you hurt?"

Lucas looked down and, sure enough, there was blood. The shock left him as he stared at the stain. The realization of what had happened tonight hit him like a fright train.

"It's not my blood."

Riley unwrapped herself from Lucas with a sharp intake of breath. "Is the other guy-?"

"He's not dead if that's what you're asking." Lucas snapped.

Taken aback, Riley shook her head. "I didn't think that. I just wanted to know if he was okay...or if he's pressing charges."

 _She doesn't think you're a monster, idiot. She's just concerned._ Lucas' mind chided him. Riley had no fault in his screw up tonight. She didn't deserve to be the receiver of his bad temper.

Reigning in his anger, Lucas replied. "Besides a broken nose, he should be fine. Doubt he'll press charges though considering we both got arrested."

"Okay." Riley nodded. "I'll have to let my mom know, then."

Lucas' eyebrows furrowed. "Your mom?"

"Yeah. She's a lawyer, remember? I called her before coming here just in case you had gotten charged with something."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You told _your mom_ about this?"

"I had to. I didn't know what else to do and she knows more about this stuff than I do."

Lucas knew she had a point and that she hadn't meant any harm by it. But it was _her mom_. A woman he'd met only last month and who he assumed he'd left a good impression on. What the hell would she think of him now? That he was a criminal? That he wasn't worthy of Riley? He already thought that, he didn't need her parents thinking it too.

Feeling the anger building inside him once more, Lucas stepped around Riley and headed out of the police station. Walking out into the cold March air, he could hear Riley running after him.

"Lucas, wait!"

"Go home, Riley." he said it loud enough for her to hear since he had his back turned.

"What?" Her voice sounded closer.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"What are you talking about?" Her hand landed on his shoulder, her grip strong. "Lucas!"

He turned to face her, fire coursing through his veins. "I said go home!"

Riley shrunk back at the sound of his voice with a flinch. Lucas anger dissipated when he saw the look on her face. He'd never yelled at her before. Not like that. The pain on her face was clear. He knew what she was probably thinking. Making up excuses in her head about how this wasn't who he was. How he was a good guy. But she was wrong. Tonight had proven that. It was time she realized it, too.

Quickly composing herself, Riley stood her ground. "No. I'm not going home until I'm sure you're okay."

Lucas shook his head in disbelief. The girl was stubborn. It was something about her he'd always liked, but not tonight. He had to get through to her right now and make her see what she's been getting herself into these past three months. "Do you really want this, Riley?"

Her head cocked to side. "Want what?"

Trying to ignore how cute she looked when she was confused, Lucas went on. "This." he motioned towards the police station. "Having to deal with stuff like this when it comes to me."

Riley seemed to be contemplating her answer. Finally she let out a soft, "No. I don't want this." Her eyes met his. "I want more."

Lucas' chest tightened at her words and he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. She'd said what he'd wanted to hear. The words that he'd always feared she really thought about them ever since the night of her birthday party. He knew she deserved better than him, better than what he could offer her...but damn. It sure hurt like hell to hear her confirm it.

He didn't have the energy to sound mad anymore. So when he spoke, his words sounded pained. "If I'm not what you want, then what are we doing, Riley? Why are you even with me?"

Riley's arms slapped against her sides in frustration."Because." She walked to him, stopping only inches away. "Sometimes what you want isn't really what you need."

Pressing her lips together in a thin line, Riley inhaled a long breath through her nose. She stared into his eyes and the emotion Lucas read in them made him feel like he was drowning in an bottomless ocean with no way out. Then her next words pulled him ashore.

"And because I love you."

They say that your whole world changes when you meet the love of your life. Lucas never believed in any of that. Who could ever love someone as messed up as him anyway? But, the day he'd met Riley Matthews, something inside him he'd never felt before started to grow. It was hope. Hope that this girl who spread sunshine wherever she went could be the one who could love him. She could be the one who saves him from the part of himself he despises. She could change him for the better.

And that's what she'd done. All these months together and he'd started to believe he was worth it. That could actually be a guy she would be proud of. A guy who his family could be proud of. So, he should feel on top of the world right now knowing that she loved him.

Except he didn't. In fact it might've just been the worst thing she could say to him at that moment. Not after tonight. Not after realizing that not even she could help him become something he wasn't. He was a disappointment to everybody. And she deserved better than that. So, if he couldn't be saved, he at least had to save her from him.

Making sure his face was devoid of any emotion, Lucas said the words he knew would do just that.

"Well that's just too bad."

Riley's body jerked as if she'd been slapped. Her eyes watered, but no tears came out. She was trying to be strong and Lucas had to look away from her as the realization of what he'd done settled in.

If there was one thing Riley didn't do, it was to show people that she had any other feeling besides happy. She never cried in front of anyone, not even him. So just seeing that she'd allowed her eyes to water in his presence, he knew he'd done it.

He'd just broken Riley's heart.

A ball formed in his throat, warning him of the arrival of his own tears. Swallowing the emotion down, he cleared his throat. His next words would be final and he knew it. After this, there'd be no more of them. No more late night talks over the phone. No more holding her hand at the movies while they shared a bucket of popcorn with her favorite chocolate bar broken into little pieces mixed in. No more of her smiles. No more of her kisses, her laughs, her hugs...no more _her_. The only constant happiness in his life would be gone. But, he had no other choice. This was what was best for her.

Glancing one last time into her watery brown eyes, Lucas said his last words.

"Goodbye, Riley."

And then he turned around and walked away, leaving his heart behind with her.

 


	7. Wake Up Call

Two weeks. That’s how long it’d taken before she’d decided to confront him. Lucas Friar was at the top of her hit list right now and he wasn’t getting off it any time soon. Not when he’d broken her best friend’s heart.

When Riley had burst into their dorm room in tears telling her what had happened between her and Lucas that night, Maya had been shocked to say the least. Anyone with eyes could see that both Riley and Lucas were head over heels in love with each other. She’d seen the way he’d look at Riley when they’d be out on a double date with her and Josh. It was the same way Riley’s parents looked at each other. Josh had even commented on it once to her after one of those double dates and Maya couldn’t help but agree. So when Riley told her that Lucas didn’t love her back, Maya couldn’t believe it. There was just no way.

Maya knew better than to meddle in her best friend’s relationship. But it had been two weeks. Two weeks of watching Riley cry herself to sleep every night. Two weeks of seeing her moping around, looking unkempt and…broken. It hurt to even think of Riley and that word in the same sentence because that wasn’t who she was. Riley wasn’t the broken one, she was the light. It had gotten so bad that Maya had to call in reinforcements. She ordered an emergency meeting of The Riley Committee, a little thing her and Riley’s friends had started to protect Riley from anything and anyone. It didn’t take long for their other best friend Farkle Minkus and his longtime girlfriend Isadora Smackle to come running from Brown University to offer their friend some support. Being around Riley in this condition, they all knew that somehow Lucas had caused this. And Maya wasn’t standing for it. Which is why she now stood in front of his apartment door, her first banging against it insistently.

“Open up, you hick! I know you’re in there!”

It only took a few moments before the door opened, but it wasn’t the person she was looking for.

“Maya, this is a bad time,” Zay told her in a hushed tone, “He doesn’t want to see anyone.”

“Oh, yeah?” Maya retorted, “Well, that sucks for him because I’m seeing him whether he likes it or not and I’m gonna make it a whole lot worse.”

Pushing past Zay, Maya walked into the apartment and froze. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she turned towards Zay.

“Where’s his room?”

He shook his head, “I really don’t think this is a good idea -“

Grabbing his shirt, she tugged him forward until she was in his face.

“If you don’t tell me right now which room is his, I’ll make sure you’ll never to be able to procreate,” she growled.

Zay knew better than to call Maya out on her threat. She was tough, and when it came to her friends, there was no telling what she was capable of. 

“First door to your right,” he said in a rush all while plastering a nervous smile on his face.

Letting him go, Maya patted him on the head with a smile. “Good boy.”

She wasted no time then. Finding the room Zay pointed out, Maya pushed open the door. Her eyes immediately watered a little at the stench and, using her fingers, plugged her nose shut.

“Is she gone?” Lucas grumbled from the bed.

His head was turned towards the wall of the bedroom, so he couldn’t see that Zay wasn’t the one standing in the doorway.

“No, she’s right here,” Maya replied in a nasally tone, “And so is that smell. What the heck is that?”

Coming up behind her, Zay answered, “That would be the result of him not showering for the past couple of days.”

Lucas let out a groan as he faced them, “I thought I told you to get rid of her, Zay.”

“Listen, Lucas. I’m here for you, man. Really, I am,” Zay pointed towards Maya and hissed, “But she’s scary.”

With a roll of his eyes, Lucas plopped his head back on his pillow. “Go away, Maya.”

Maya crossed her arms over her chest, standing her ground. “Sorry, Huckleberry. But it ain’t happening. I’m not leaving here until you tell me what made you break Riley’s heart.”

“It’s none of your business.” said Lucas’ muffled voice.

“You know, I would’ve agreed with you. But considering that I’m the one who has watched her cry herself to sleep every single night for the past two weeks, it kind of is my business now.”

Her statement was met with silence so Maya decided to add one more reason. “Plus, Josh is waiting outside to act as a final resort in case you’re still too stubborn to talk to me.”

It took a second before Lucas finally spoke. “Leave us alone for a few, Zay.”

“Sure. Just yell if you need me.” Looking at Maya’s narrowed gaze he added, “Please don’t need me.”

Zay then walked away from the door, leaving both Maya and Lucas alone. Maya had planned to start off the conversation, but surprisingly Lucas was the first to speak up.

“So, what? You came here to tell me off?” He was now lying on his back, eyes closed, as his fingers rubbed his temples. “Go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

Well, that’s no fun. It’s no use giving someone a piece of your mind if they actually want you to do it. So, instead, Maya went with a question.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Let’s see,” Lucas began with a humorless chuckle, “Alcohol, no sleep, some more alcohol, got put in jail, and - oh yeah - more alcohol.”

Eyeing him up and down, Maya took in his appearance. He was a mess, maybe even worse than Riley. His hair wasn’t in it’s usually neat style. His eyes looked bloodshot. And he was wearing a white t-shirt that was starting to look more gray than white.

“I can see that,” Maya noted, “But I was talking about what happened to you that night two weeks ago. Why did you break it off with Riley?”

Lucas dropped his hands from his face, thumping them onto the mattress. “Because I just did.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Well,” Lucas sighed, “It’s the only one I’ve got for you.”

“Well it’s not good enough!” Maya stormed up to him, “You need to have a better reason than that to explain what you’ve put my best friend through! What, did you find someone else or something? Is she not good enough for you?”

Lucas shot up from the bed. “She is good enough!”

Getting into his face, Maya exclaimed, “So then why did you walk away?! Why did you end it?!”

“Because I’m not good for her, okay?!”

Maya reared her head back. She had no words. That was the last thing she thought she’d hear him say.

Realizing what he’d just admitted out loud, Lucas averted his gaze. “I’m bad for her, Maya, okay? She doesn’t deserve to be with someone like me. She deserves better.”

Maya’s heart clenched at the sound of his voice. The words he was speaking were all too familiar to her. The look on his face was one she’d seen many times before. It was those same words and that same look that had been part of her since she was a little girl. Ever since her father left.

Clearing her throat that had suddenly gotten a bit clogged up in emotion, Maya asked, “Your mom or your dad?”

Lucas snapped his eyes back to her in confusion, “What?”

“I know mommy and daddy issues when I see them,” she gave him a rueful smile, “So which one is it?”

His eyes flashed in shock for a moment before he sighed in defeat, “It’s my dad.”

“Of course,” Maya said bitterly, “It always is.”

Sitting down on his bed, Lucas looked up at her, “You too, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.” Maya responded and sat down next to him. “Big time.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it, though.” Lucas admitted.

“That’s okay.” Maya reassured him, “You don’t have to tell me about it. But I think I get it now.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You do?”

“Yeah, your dad messed you up.” Maya’s voice lowered, “Just like mine did with me.”

Lucas nodded, knowing that she really did understand. “How did you get over it?”

“Want the truth?” she asked, and when he nodded she added, “You don’t ever get over it.”

“That’s what I thought.” Lucas said with a humorless chuckle.

“Hey, you didn’t let me finish!” Maya admonished, “You may not ever get over it, but you can deal with it. You can feel better about yourself. It’s not impossible.”

“Well, it sure feels like it is sometimes.” he grumbled.

“I know it does. I also know that pushing the people who care about you away is definitely not the way to do it.”

Lucas sighed, “Maya, I just don’t want Riley to get affected by me.”

“You’re not some sort of disease, Lucas.” Maya argued, “You’re a person. A person who makes mistakes. You think Riley doesn’t get that?”

“No, I think Riley believes I’m someone I’m not.”

His words made her thoughts wander back to a time long ago. And she suddenly knew of a way she could get through to him.

“Do you know that Riley and I almost stopped being friends once?”

“Seriously?” he asked in disbelief, “How is that even possible? You two are attached at the hip.”

“Well, it’s possible when one of us didn’t think they were good enough to be friends with the other.”

Maya stared at him with a pointed look and Lucas smirked, “There’s gonna be a lesson in here isn’t there?”

“Yup,” Maya smiled and continued, “In seventh grade I made the mistake of rebelling in class once. I called it The Homework Rebellion.”

“Sounds intimidating.” Lucas teased.

“You’d be surprised,” Maya laughed, “Anyway, I obviously got in huge trouble for it. And Riley’s dad was our teacher, so him yelling at me was ten times worse since I saw him as a father figure and not a teacher. It was horrible because in that moment, I thought I’d screwed up everything. I didn’t have a dad, my mom was hardly ever home at the same time as me because of work, and now my best friend’s dad hated me. How long would it take before Riley did, too? Before she realized I was no good? Seemed like everyone else had figured it out, so why not her?”

Lucas was staying silent now, but Maya could see the gears shifting in his head. She knew he was relating to this story.

“That same day after school when Riley and I were on the subway, I told her not to be surprised if her dad said we couldn’t be friends anymore. I told her she was better off anyway. That I was no good for her. She’d stood up for me that day with her dad and had gotten in trouble too. I’d done that, you know? So, I thought she was better off without me.” Maya laughed softly at the memory, “But, Riley being stubborn, she just couldn’t accept that. She made me go home with her to confront her dad. You wanna know what he said?”

“What?”

“He said that the last thing he’d ever want to do is tear our friendship apart. That I was the best friend Riley could ever have. Yes, my actions had gotten Riley into trouble. But, it was her decision to stand up for me. Because I’m her best friend and she cares about me. Because she knows I’m worth defending, no matter what I do or say. She knows that I’m good enough even if I can’t see it sometimes.”

Maya paused to let that last part sink in for him and then she drove the point home. “That’s who Riley is, Lucas. She sees the best in people, but only when she knows it’s already there. So, you might not be able to see the good in you but she sure as hell does.”

Letting her words linger, she waited for Lucas to say something. And when he did, it was pretty much what she expected.

“Oh, man.” Lucas put his head in this hands, “I screwed up, didn’t I?”

Maya nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Big time.”

She watched as he ran his hands through his hair, clearly distressed. “What am I supposed to do now? She probably hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Maya assured him, “You just have to talk to her.”

“Yeah,” Lucas scoffed, “Like she’d want to talk to me after what I did.”

“Look,” Maya sighed, “I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that what you did wasn’t bad, because it was. But, I know my best friend. I know that if you tell her you want to talk, that you want her to know what’s been going on with you, she’ll listen.”

“I think you’re putting too much hope in that happening.” Lucas said grimly.

“Yeah, well, blame her for that. She’s caused me to be a sucker for hope.” Maya chuckled, “I’m serious, though Huckleberry. Just give it a shot, okay? Go and try to talk to her. Try to fix this before it’s too late.”

Taking a deep breath, Lucas lifted his head out of his hands. “Okay, I’ll try.”

“Good,” Maya smiled and stood up, “My work here is done, then.”

As she headed for the door to leave, Lucas’ voice stopped her. “Hey, Maya.”

“Yeah?” she asked expectantly.

He gave her a small smile. “Thanks for the wake up call.”

“Don’t mention it. I mean,” she shrugged, “What else are friends for, right?”

“Right.” Lucas agreed.

“See ya around, Huckleberry.” Maya waved and left the apartment feeling a whole lot better.

“See ya.” Lucas returned her farewell and watched her leave.

Her story had hit a nerve with him. He couldn’t believe Maya had felt the same way as him at one point in her life. He’d never thought of her as broken, too. But, maybe that was just it, though. Maybe the truth was that he wasn’t really broken. Maybe his father had just made him believe he was and Riley was the one trying to help him see it. Maybe he did deserve to be with her. Maybe he was good enough.

Was he really, though? There was only one way to find out.

He had to go win his girl back.


End file.
